


Late Night Date Nights

by alafaye



Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 05:50:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8611141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: Jack gets a call about something in the park near Ianto's flat; does Ianto come out to help even though it's midnight already?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the summer fest 2016 at torchwood_fest. It was posted in four parts: [Part 1](http://torchwood-fest.livejournal.com/101387.html) which was inspired by that week's prompts of park and unknown; [Part 2](http://torchwood-fest.livejournal.com/101786.html) which was inspired by that week's prompts of spark and umbrella; [Part 3](http://torchwood-fest.livejournal.com/101962.html) which was inspired by that week's prompts of bloom and senses; and [Part 4](http://torchwood-fest.livejournal.com/102169.html) which was inspired by that week's prompt of old.

Ianto pulled up to his designated parking spot and turned off the car. He sat back and took a deep breath. Another long day at work; it was already midnight and he was likely not going to fall asleep until one or two. He'd be back at the Hub in eight hours. For a long moment, he considered just going back to the Hub and sleeping there. At least then he'd get a slow start to the day instead of waking at six or seven and rushing through his routine.

But a curtain on the first floor -- probably Mrs. Wells -- fluttered. He'd been spotted and leaving now meant that he'd be reported.

Torchwood, for all that it was supposed to be secret and for all that they were supposed to keep the presence of aliens quiet, wasn't very good at keeping things hush-hush. If Ianto left now, he'd find Jack pulling on his coat and going out to see what was going on because someone had called in about Ianto.

He opened the car door and waved at the first floor. Another curtain flutter. He half smiled and shook his head. Nosy neighbors, but they were good for gossip that had lead him to a few good alien sightings. Suppose he couldn't be too harsh on Mrs. Wells whenever she had called him in.

As soon as he was inside the locked building door, however, his phone pinged.

_Sighting of something unknown in the park about half a mile from your apartment._

Ianto's finger hovered over the text. It made sense that Jack would text him seeing how close it was, but over half of their unknown sightings in parks at this hour turned out to be cults and exhibitionists. One time an escaped wolf from the zoo. Jack had been inviting Ianto on a lot of late night alien sightings lately. Jack had gone on his own in the past until sometime after Lisa; Ianto had wondered if Jack thought he needed a distraction and at the time, welcomed though it was. As time went on, however, he was starting to feel like Jack was lonely and also a bit like Jack just plain wanted to have as much time with Ianto as he could have.

His phone pinged again.

_Coming?_

If it was something alien, it might not be friendly. Jack going on his own increased the chance that come morning, Ianto would be doing a neat quickstep to avoid too many questions about why an early morning jogger had found Jack's dead body on the path. Further, if Ianto went up to his flat now, he could grab a spare suit so he could sleep at the Hub and not have to worry about the morning rush.

His phone rang.

"Ianto?" Jack asked instead of a proper greeting. Then again, Ianto didn't think Jack knew what a proper greeting was.

"Meet you in twenty?" Ianto countered.

"Fifteen," Jack firmly said.

Ianto sighed. "Creatively driving will still get you a ticket at midnight."

"I'll flash my shiny badge," Jack scoffed.

Ianto sighed and started climbing the steps. "You're the reason most of the cops in the city hate us."

"What good is it being outside the government if you can't use it?" Jack asked, sounding genuine even though Ianto knew he was anything but.

"Twenty, Jack, and not a second earlier," Ianto repeated.

Jack hummed. "Got your stopwatch ready?"

Ianto smirked and leaned against his door to get his tablet out. "And I'll have the trackers in the cars ready to keep an eye on you."

Jack swore.

"Twenty," Ianto reminded him and hung up.

 

~~~

Ianto smiled when the SUV Jack had taken slowed to a stop by his own car. Jack had taken the longest route possible to make it the full twenty minutes. Jack, Ianto was fond of saying, was far too used to driving in space where there were no speed limits and often times no road blocks. Driving for Jack was almost like putting a mouse in a maze.

Jack was grinning, though, as he stepped out of the car. He stopped in front of Ianto, almost rocking on his heels. "Well?"

Ianto held up his stopwatch. "Twenty minutes exactly. And you didn't get creative to meet that deadline."

"There are days when I worry that we're being watched constantly," Jack said. "And then other days it's very comforting." He winked. "Feel free to watch me anytime."

Ianto rolled his eyes and turned off his tablet. The stopwatch he put in Jack's pocket with a smirk. "For later."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "What did you have in mind?"

"Later," Ianto teased. He took the rift detector from Jack and frowned. "It's near the fountain?"

Jack lifted his chin, trying to see over the top of the detector. "Or in it. Maybe it's aquatic based?"

"Or needs the water," Ianto mused. He turned and led the way, Jack following closely.

The fountain was in the middle of the park, part of a local project to improve the park's image. It'd worked as security cameras had been installed at the same time, enough money left over, but then a month later, the druggies and graffiti artists were back. Those who valued their lives visited the park only during daylight hours; everyone else, visited between dusk and dawn. At the very least, there hadn't been a murder here in a year.

Ianto wondered what it said about his neighborhood that that was something nice.

The nearer they got to the fountain, however, the more people Ianto noticed. He stopped and Jack froze. "See something?"

"Stay here," Ianto told him. "I mean it."

Jack frowned, but nodded. Ianto looked around and then waved to a young man standing with his friends. Izzy was a lad Ianto had met a few months ago, trying to pick his wallet. Ianto had stopped him, but once Izzy had spilled that it was for his sister who was ill (and Ianto checked out his story), he let it slide. Izzy wasn't a bad sort; just liked to hang around those who were. Ianto had tried to get him straight, but Izzy wouldn't budge.

Lucky for Ianto and Jack.

"Ianto," Izzy greeted with a bright grin. 

Ianto nodded. His companions were distrustful, but they stayed put. Ianto wasn't interested in their petty crimes; wasn't his division. If any of them were aliens, it'd be another matter. For now, he left well enough alone. "Izzy. What's going on?"

Izzy nodded toward the fountain. "Something weird. You know we all like to gather there for meetings and the like. Was going to tonight, but there's something there." He looked Ianto up and down. "We figured Torchwood would show up eventually and move it out so we could get on with our meeting."

Ianto didn't want to even think about what sort of meeting these types would hold. He could claim innocence later if Andy ever asked him. "What's it look like?"

Izzy pointed another kid wearing too much metal and not enough hair. "L saw it."

L sighed. "Put me on the spot, won't you?" They shrugged at Ianto. "About my height, six legged with horns but scales. Thirsty, too, if the way it's drinking that fountain water and none of us would drink from it, if you know what I mean."

Ianto smiled tightly. "I do. Thanks, L."

L nodded. Ianto walked back to Jack who was talking to a john. The john looked like it was half a second away from offering to do a job for free and Jack was looking for Ianto if the way he kept looking around was any indication. 

"Thanks but no thanks," Jack told the john who frowned, but moved on. Jack looked beyond Ianto to Izzy. "Anything?"

"Six legs, horns, and scales," Ianto recited. He pulled out his taser.

Jack hummed thoughtfully. "Sounds like a Mirrthrik. Water based, so your taser should work." He took out his Webley. "For safety."

Ianto followed Jack now past the kids who were beginning to quiet down now that a show was about to happen. They heard it first and then smelled it -- like a chip shop that hadn't opened or been cleaned in three days (a smell Ianto was unfortunately familiar with since there had been a chip shop owner who'd gone missing for three days before he'd been reported as missing and only because of the smell from the shop). The lights around the fountain were like the rest of the park -- set on a sensor -- so they got full sight of it as they rounded the bend. Six legs, horns, scales, and blue. It almost looked like a child's creative idea of a dragon, sans wings.

Jack whistled and the alien turned. It had the face of a panther and it yelled at Jack, something that was either a roar or actual words. Ianto didn't hesitate. He shot off his modified taser and with another yell and a massive spark, it fell backwards into the fountain.

Jack spluttered when they got hit with a massive wave of water. "Should have brought an umbrella."

Ianto wiped back his hair. "That fountain is only a foot deep, Jack."

Jack sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

Ianto shot Jack a dark look, but cautiously walked closer, holding out the Rift detector. It flashed faster the closer he got, until it suddenly stopped.

"Huh," Jack said. He holstered his gun and walked past Ianto to get a closer look. He took out a flashlight and shined it around the pond. "Looks like a regular fountain now."

Ianto looked at the detector. "Quarantine it?"

"Yo, Ianto," Izzy called. "Safe to have our meeting?"

Jack took out a portable monitor and looked at the graphs. "It should be clear." He waved to the people waiting. "All good, but know if something else happens, we're not responsible."

Someone scoffed, "Ain't that the truth. Government doesn't do anything until someone important dies."

"Shut it!" Izzy hissed. "Ianto's left us all alone, hasn't he? If anything goes wrong, he'll be here for us."

A ringing silence fell. Jack smirked at Ianto, challenging. Ianto sighed and looked up. "Yes. I'll be here. Izzy knows how to contact me."

Murmurs went up, but no one said anything else. Jack grinned. "So. Hub?"

~~~

Jack fairly bounced into the Hub, already hooking up the portable monitors to the main computer so he could print out the readings for Tosh to analyze later. Ianto went toward the small room that collectively, throughout the years by all the agents who worked there, had been converted into something like a dorm room. There were a few beds, lockers, and a shower. He hung up his suit in the locker he'd claimed in the months when he was hiding Lisa and took out a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt.

After a quick shower, he went into the main hub to grab a cup of coffee and to help Jack write up the report.

Jack grinned. "Staying in tonight?" 

Ianto shrugged and nodded. "What's the point to going home? I'll be back here anywhere in a few hours."

Jack accepted that with a sad frown and moved aside so Ianto could pull up a chair and add in his comments. He was glad that, unlike the police, they didn't have to all file separate reports if they didn't want to. He made notes of the kids he'd talked with, including Izzy's background, and the likelihood that it might be a repeat event. Like ley lines, there were certain points in Cardiff that saw incidents multiple times. The park would be a new one, but if the fountain had opened up a path between Earth and another planet, it could happen again.

Especially since that was a new event. "Ever seen the Rift do that before?"

Jack raised his eyebrows. "What, be a solid doorway?"

"More like a black hole," Ianto said thoughtfully. "It wouldn't be a doorway, no door knobs needed. Just walk from here to there. Or swim, I suppose."

Jack sniffed his shirt. "You saved your suit?"

Ianto sighed. "Of course. I've already dropped it off in the lab so someone can analyze it later. You might want to do the same."

Jack hummed. "Have to do it anyway -- the Rqalt bloomed about half an hour before I called you."

Ianto rolled back a few inches. "The Rqalt bloomed? The one whose colours are rainbow hued, rainbow colors from Pthlomb?"

Jack grinned. "Got it one."

"And the one that you kept in isolation because you said it would overcome the senses?" Ianto finished.

Jack sat back. "Well, I never said how it would, did I?"

Ianto looked up and back at the hot house where the Rqalt had been put in a specially built glass case. It had bloomed and the colours he could see and understand were beautiful. There were a few that looked blurry to him, but Jack said that that was because Pthlomb's sun had an odd gravitational pull that had created an atmosphere that humans could barely understand. Jack had also said that once bloomed, the Rqalt would overwhelm human senses because humans were in tune with Pthlomb's unique atmosphere.

The team thought that it meant that the Rqalt was dangerous and would kill any human who had contact with it once it bloomed.

Trust Jack to keep his cards close to his chest.

Ianto looked at Jack. "Should I have even bothered to get dressed?"

Jack grinned. "Meet you in twenty?"

~~~

Ianto lightly tugged his coat straight and adjusted his tie. Jack wolf-whistled from the bedroom. "You clean up nice."

Smirking, Ianto left Jack's private bathroom and threw Jack's old shirt at him. "I could say the same for you, but I know you haven't done laundry in over a week, so I know what you'll be wearing."

"Oh, that hurt," Jack frowned. He sat up, the sheets pooling around his waist, but didn't put his shirt on. "Do we have to go up today? I'd like to have another hour with the Rqalt and call in sick."

Ianto shook his head. "Get dressed. I'll have coffee ready in twenty."

Jack groaned, "Coffee or stay in bed all day? Some days, the choices are terrible."

Ianto, one foot and hand on the ladder, winked. "Should've asked me on a Sunday."

Jack swore as he climbed up.

~~~

Ianto frowned, eyeing the cursor as it blinked. He needed to write up the report on the Rqalt, but it would visible to the whole team once he'd filed it. It was one thing for them to know about him and Jack and another for them to have details. Of course, it would be difficult to write up such a report without it sounding like a terrible romance novel.

Two messages popped up in the corner of his screen. One was from Jack:

_I've written my report on the Rqalt. I've forwarded it to you so you can made any edits and we'll file it._

Of course he had. Ianto shook his head and opened the other message.

_I've found an old report from UNIT. They ran into an alien like you described in the 90s, at the exact same spot. Any idea if Torchwood would have been there, too? -Tosh_

A day in the archives then. Ianto quickly read through Jack's report, added his own comments in, and filed it. He distributed one last round of coffee and then went down to the archives.

~~~

"Add that fountain in to our Rift lines," Ianto announced to Jack as he went into his office three hours later with lunch.

Jack looked up, frowning. "Rift lines?"

Ianto shrugged. "Tosh and I are working on it. Like ley lines, Rift lines are areas that often see Rift activity."

Jack took his sandwich and sat back. "So something's been there before."

Ianto nodded and sat down opposite Jack. "I've scanned the relevant files into the computer and Tosh is working out what we know so she might be able to narrow down when that spot will activate."

"Good work," Jack grinned. He picked up a magnet and put it onto the map behind him. 

Ianto smirked. "And I've asked Izzy to keep a good eye out. Word will help us keep an eye on it."

Jack chuckled. "I suspect I'll be getting a call in the far, far future from someone who heard the tale."

"Urban myth," Ianto chuckled. "So, with that, whatever shall we do with the rest of the day?"

Jack frowned. "My laundry?"

Ianto shook his head. "I was thinking I might take the afternoon off. Maybe meet a hot man for a date later tonight."

Jack grinned. "Oh, yeah? Anyone I know?"

Ianto winked. "Why don't you show up later and find out?"


End file.
